


Endgame

by winstallenski



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, McCall Pack, Multi, Original Character(s), Romance, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-22 08:03:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7426756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winstallenski/pseuds/winstallenski
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mia Ramirez grew up with her two best friends, Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski. The three were inseparable. It was rare to see them without one another. In fact, people who knew them began referring to the group as The Three Musketeers. The trio did almost everything together. Then Mia moved away. The friends tried their best to keep in contact, but they ultimately lost contact w/ one another. <br/>Now five years later, Mia is back in town. As soon as she is reunited with her old pals, unrequited feelings for a certain hyperactive spaz re emerge stronger than ever and Mia finds herself right where she used to be - head over heels for Stiles Stilinski.<br/>Oblivious to her, Stiles happens to be smitten with her as well. But with the secrets he and his best friend Scott hold, is there hope for a future between the former flames? Or will Beacon Hills' werewolf issue continue to get in the way of young love?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. playlist

_Start of Time // Gabrielle Aplin_

_Everything // Lifehouse_

_Don't Deserve You // Plumb_

_All I Need // Within Temptation_

_Salvation // Gabrielle Aplin_

_Wherever You Will Go // Charlene Soraia_

_Love Me Like You Do // Ellie Goulding_

_We'll Be the Stars // Sabrina Carpenter_

_Ships In the Night // Mat Kearney_

_I'll Fight // Daughtry_

_Wildest Dreams // Taylor Swift_

_Devotion // Hurts_

_Waiting for Superman // Daughtry_

_All About Us // He is We_

_How You Get the Girl // Taylor Swift_

_Somebody To Die For // Hurts_

_Angel With a Shotgun // The Cab_

_Holding out for a Hero // Ella Mae Bowen_

_It's All Coming Back to Me Now // Celine Dion_

_Kiss Me Slowly // Parachute_

_Signs // Ron Pope_

_Kiss You Inside Out // Hedley_

_My Blood // Ellie Goulding_

_Lovin' So Hard // Becky G_

_Ocean Wide // The Afters_

_Right Here Waiting // Richard Marx_

_The Man Who Can't Be Moved // The Script_

_Wires // Athlete_

_You Are In Love // Taylor Swift_

_Young & Beautiful (instrumental) // Lana Del Rey_

_Back Home // Andy Grammer_

_Heartbeat // Carrie Underwood_

_Roses and Violets // Alexander Jean_

_Explosions // Ellie Goulding_

_We Might Fall //  Ryan Star_

_Sunrise // In The Heights_

_Too Young // Sabrina Carpenter_

_Superheroes // The Script_

_Brave // Tawgs Salter_

_Wild Ones // Behari_

_Something Beautiful // NEEDTOBREATHE_

_We're Gonna Be Okay // Andie Case_

_Give Me Love // Ed Sheeran_

_Coming Home, PT. II // Skylar Grey_

_Open Heart (ft. Lissie)// Morgan Page_

_Drive // Halsey_


	2. the beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the origin story of the three musketeers
> 
> A/N {As a prologue, I've written a couple of snippets to give you an idea of how close Mia was with Scott and Stiles before she moved}

**{ the first time }**

_Mia's tiny feet pitter pattered against the wood chips as she wandered around the busy playground. Her parents watched their shy little four year old observe the other kids while she stood on her own by the swing set. It was normal to be nervous around other children at that age, but Mia was making very little progress associating with even small groups of kids which was distressing because she was about to begin kindergarten in a month. Even during preschool she was very antisocial. The teachers couldn't even get her to say her own name out loud. Her parents started bringing her to the playground every weekend so she could get used to being around kids her age and hopefully make a friend. But every Saturday, she avoided the other children and ended up standing by herself near the swing set while everyone else had fun. Hopefully this Saturday would be different. Grace, Mia's mother, called up a few old friends of hers who had kids of their own and asked them to meet up at the park. Their children were a year older than Mia but at their age that shouldn't matter much._

_Mia twirled a strand of hair around her little finger while she stared at the ground and kicked wood chips around. Her stomach filled with knots whenever she tried to talk to someone she did not know, and she really disliked the feeling. Most kids didn't try to talk to her anyway. If they did, she never spoke back, so they would just walk away and play amongst their friends. It seemed she was doomed to play alone forever._

_Mia was so focused on the pile of wood chips she was creating that she almost didn't notice the two pairs of feet that appeared in front of her. When she looked up, she saw two boys staring right at her. They both had short dark hair and one of them was paler than the other. The pale boy had light brown eyes while his friends eyes resembled dark chocolate. They appeared to be friendly, but Mia felt uncomfortable being the target of their gaze._

_"Hi Mia!" the pale boy exclaimed._

_Mia's eyebrows rose in confusion. She had never seen this boy before, and yet he knew her name. Before she could turn and walk the other way, the other boy spoke._

_"I'm Scott, and this is my best friend Stiles," he said as he pointed to the other boy. "Our moms are friends with your mom."_

_Mia glanced over in her parents direction, and sure enough she saw her mom talking with two ladies she had seen before, but only for very brief moments like at the grocery store. They were all conversating as if they were the best of friends now._

_She looked at the two boys who were still standing in front of her. Her shyness was getting the best of her. Even though their parents knew each other she still didn't feel comfortable enough to talk to them, but she also didn't want them to go away._

_"Do you wanna play with us?" the boy named Scott asked._

_Mia stared from one boy to the next. Although she was still feeling quite shy, she decided to take them up on their offer. She nodded her head, letting them know that she would like to play. Scott took a hold of her hand while Stiles grabbed the other, and they guided Mia over to the jungle gym where they taught her how to swing from one bar to the next._

_They played at the park all afternoon and for the first time in her short life, Mia had made some friends. And unbeknownst to her, those two boys would become the greatest friends she would ever have._

_**~ 2002 ~** _

 

**{ movie night }**

_Over the past year, Mia, Stiles, and Scott's friendship had blossomed immensely. Mia eventually got over her shyness and really opened up to the two boys who considered her to be their best friend, even though she was a girl. The three kids were so inseparable that everyone had begun referring to them as The Three Musketeers. They did everything together. One thing that had become a tradition was movie night. Every Friday after school, the kids met up at each others houses decked out in their pajamas and had a movie marathon. It was the one night of the week that their parents let them pig out on junk food and stay up past their bed time. The parents would have their own fun in the dining room while the kids enjoyed their movies. This Friday, the first film of choice was 'The Lion King'. It was the one film that each one of them would agree to watch without putting up a fight because they all loved it so much._

_Scott, Stiles, and Mia knew the movie word for word. This was practically their thousandth time watching it. Whenever they watched the movie, the three of them would reenact their favorite scenes._

_They'd sing 'I Just Can't Wait to Be King' at the top of their lungs._

_When the hyenas came on screen, they would each pick the one they thought they were most like and recite their lines as if they were written specifically for them._

_In that instance, Mia would pretend to be Shenzi while Scott was Bonzai and Stiles was Ed._

_Scar's song 'Be Prepared' was one of their favorites, mostly because of all the strutting and dancing the animals do throughout the bit. The living room became their own Elephant Graveyard as they sang and pranced around as if they too were part of Scar's army._

_Mufasa's death scene was the only part of the movie where they'd stay completely silent. It always made them sad to see the king betrayed by his brother._

_Later on, Timon and Pumba appeared, and the three kids would join them in a spirited rendition of 'Hakuna Matata'._

_The night would go on like this until the kids were so sleepy that they couldn't keep their eyes open. Their parents would find them layed out on the couch while a movie continued to play on the television. Instead of taking them home, they'd leave them where they were, lay a few blankets and pillows out, and let them spend the night together._

_The three of them would be wide awake again around five in the morning because of how uncomfortable they'd be from sleeping on the same couch. After untangling a mass of arms and legs, one of them would put a movie in, and they'd continue their marathon until an adult woke up and made them breakfast._

_No matter what they had going on, or how old they got, this would happen every Friday night. That is, until it couldn't anymore._

_**~ 2003 ~** _

 

**{ the hill }**

_"I don't think this is such a good idea."_

_Mia felt an impending sense of doom as she gazed down at the hill that her best friends Scott and Stiles chose to race down today. At only six years old, she had become good at deciding what felt wrong and what felt right, especially with two rowdy boys by her side 24/7, and this new adventure definitely felt wrong._

_For Christmas, each child was gifted with their very own Power Wheels. It had quickly become their favorite toy of all. Now that they've had them for a couple of weeks, the boys felt that it was time to drive their 'cars' in a more adventurous place than their backyards. So, they each convinced their parents to let them bring their toys to the park so they'd have more space to drive._

_Melissa, Scott's mother, got them set up in the field and when she spotted the big hill in the distance, she directed her attention to the three kids in front of her, mostly Scott and Stiles, and gave them specific instructions._

_"Listen to me," Melissa began, her voice stern. "Do not go down that hill. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes ma'am," Scott, Mia, and Stiles chorused._

_Melissa walked back over to the other parents, and as soon as she was far enough away, Scott turned and looked at his friends, an excited grin present on his face._

_"We're going down that hill."_

_That was five minutes ago, and now here they were, sitting in their cars at the top of the hill, preparing to race so they could see who was the fastest out of all of them. Mia insisted that she didn't want to do it, but despite her protests, somehow the boys convinced her to go along with them._

_"This hill is so big!" Mia exclaimed. "What if we can't stop?"_

_Stiles huffed as he glanced over his shoulder to make sure his parents weren't looking. "We're gonna be fine, now can we please hurry before they see us?"_

_Mia felt uneasy as she gripped her steering wheel tight and waited for the boys to be ready. She knew they shouldn't do this, but there was no reasoning with Stiles or Scott. Also, the thought of speeding down the hill in her own vehicle kind of excited her._

_Scott's eyes held a look of determination as he glanced between his two best friends. "Ready?"_

_They both nodded. Stiles was already inching his car forward in anticipation. Scott reached over and slapped his head, warning him to wait, then held his hand up and started counting down._

_"Ten, nine, eight - "_

_"KIDS!!"_

_Scott's countdown was interrupted by the sound of Mr. Stilinski's voice. Each child looked behind them and saw their parents quickly approaching._

_"Drive!" Stiles exclaimed._

_Before either one of them could think about it, they pressed down on the gas pedal hard and sped down the hill, screaming at the top of their lungs as their parents ran after_ _them_.

**~ 2004 ~**

 

**{ first came mia, then came lydia }**

_By the third grade, not much had changed between Mia, Scott, and Stiles. They were still the best of friends. Although, Mia happened to become very popular in school. She really grew into a social butterfly as she got older, and her genuine niceness won many kids over. Scott and Stiles weren't as popular as she was, but that didn't stop her from hanging out with them. They were still her best friends and despite having several other friends, she spent the majority of her time with the boys._

_Actually, there was one change between the group of friends, but it was an expected change. A change that had been occurring slowly for the past three years. The kids hadn't noticed it, but that was most likely because they didn't quite understand their feelings or know what it meant to have a crush. But their parents were familiar with the concept, and they had always known that at some point during their friendship, one of the boys would develop feelings for Mia._

_In this case, it was Stiles._

_It was subtle, but extremely cute. As her best friend, he was already protective of her, but once he started seeing her as more than that, he became a bit possessive. The only other boy who was allowed to even stand next to her was Scott. He wanted to be near her every second of every day, which was hard at first because she was a year younger than them, so they weren't even in the same class. Luckily for him, Mia happened to be exceptionally bright for her age. She ended up skipping second grade and moving right on to third where she wound up in the same class as him and Scott._

_At first, Stiles didn't quite understand why he suddenly felt differently about Mia, but after watching some weird movie with his mom, he realized that he had a crush on his best friend. After he began to understand what was going on, he knew he was in for a world of trouble._

_He did not want things to change between him and Mia like it did with the two main characters in the movie he saw. If for some reason he and Mia weren't friends anymore, he wouldn't know what to do. If she found out he liked her and didn't feel the same, things would get weird between them and that was the last thing he wanted to happen._

_So from that moment on, Stiles had to try and make his feelings for Mia go away, which seemed like an impossible feat at that time._

_But then came Lydia Martin, and although his feelings for Mia never exactly went away, Stiles' new found adoration for Lydia was enough to make everyone think they had._

_**~ 2005** _ **~**

 

**{ losing claudia }**

_As a child, you never really think that you could lose a parent. In a kids eyes, their mom and dad are invincible. Nothing could break them. Unfortunately, that was never really the case. Your parents could be taken away from you in the blink of an eye. It's a sad truth, but in the end, parents are no more stronger than any other ordinary person._

_When Stiles' mom got sick, the kids thought that she would get better. For years they watched her be a wonderful mother and wife. She had made it look so easy. So when she was suddenly bed ridden and losing her mind, none of them knew what to think of it._

_Stiles was the one who truly believed his mom would pull through. He thought it would take a while for her to get better, but there was no way she wasn't coming home where she belonged._

_He was wrong._

_The sickness took her faster than anyone had expected. She was gone before he could even truly come to terms with the fact that she was terribly ill. It all happened so quickly._

_Mia and Scott had no idea what to do. Their best friend's mother passed away. She was practically their mom too, and now she was gone. Their grief would eventually pass, but how were they going to be there for Stiles? How would they even talk to him about it?_

_Scott was worried that this tragedy would tear them apart. That Stiles would shut them out, or they would say the wrong thing, or not say enough._

_The first few months were the hardest. Stiles definitely was not  the same, none of them were. But Mia and Scott quickly realized that they needed to do their best to be there for him during this difficult time. If their parents could do it for Mr. Stilinski, then they could do it for Stiles._

_And they did._

_They were there for him through everything. When he needed to cry, when he needed to laugh, when he needed to talk, they were there, just like they always had been._

_Losing Claudia brought the group of friends closer than they ever thought was possible. From that moment on, they knew that as long as they had each other, there was nothing life could throw at them that they could not get through._

_**~ 2006 ~** _

 

**{ the talk }**

_"Listen, kids, when a man loves a woman or a woman loves a man, they do things that only people who are in love can do together."_

_Melissa, John, and Mia's parents Grace and Matthew sat uncomfortably on the sofa in front of their children as they began discussing one of the topics that parents really didn't want to talk about with their kids. But the children were in the fifth grade now; they were old enough to know how these things worked._

_The parents had thought that discussing it with them as a group would be easier, but it is no less awkward than if they were having the talk with their children one on one._

_Mia, Scott, and Stiles appeared to be just as uncomfortable as their parents. This was definitely not how they saw their weekend going, and on movie night, too. They wanted this discussion to come to an end as quickly as possible._

_Mia cleared her throat loudly to get their parents to stop rambling. Everyone turned their attention to her._

_"I hate to be the one to tell you guys this," she began, "but the things you want to talk to us about, we already know."_

_Stiles nodded his head. "Yeah, we've kind of been there, done that, don't really wanna go back."Their parents stared back at them with wide eyes and dropped jaws._

_"Where did you learn about this?" Melissa asked, her tone of voice full of disbelief._

_"From the other kids," Scott answered._

_"And the internet," Stiles replied with a grin._

_The room was silent as the adults had become lost for words. Mia stood up and patted her mom on the shoulder._

_"I know you would have liked us to find out from you guys, but in all honesty, you kind of waited too long," Mia said as Scott and Stiles got to their feet._

_"We hear things from the older kids all the time at school," Scott added._

_"Yeah, and by a certain point in time, these things kind of become common knowledge," Stiles stated. "But don't beat yourselves up about it."_

_With that being said, the kids quickly left the living area and climbed the stairs to Scott's room, leaving their parents sitting on the couch, dumbfounded._

_**~ 2007 ~** _

 

**{ valentine's day }**

_Mia sat on the couch in Scott's living room, kicking her legs around as she anxiously waited for her friends to come downstairs. She pouted to herself as she thought about the events of the day, and how nothing had gone as planned for any of them._

_It was Valentine's Day, a very special day for those who have very special people in their lives. Normally, Mia, Scott, and Stiles would just buy a box of valentine's at the store, write each of their classmates name on one, hand them out, then give each other chocolate as gifts and pig out after school._

_However, this year they had decided to do things a little differently._

_In fifth grade, there was valentine's day dance held for the students that everyone attended. It would be their first dance ever, so it was beyond important. Because of the circumstances, they each thought that they should make the day as special as possible, so they collectively decided that they would each make a special valentine for the person they liked and invite said person to the dance that night._

_Scott had a big crush on a girl in their class named Katie. She was literally all he ever talked about. Stiles was still obsessing over Lydia. Valentine's day was just another opportunity to try and get her to notice him._

_As for Mia, she had decided to take a risk and try to tell Stiles about her feelings for him._

_Yeah, Mia had a crush on Stiles. A ginormous crush. She had been keeping it a secret for a very long time. A while back, she thought that he might have liked her too, but then when she introduced him to Lydia, that all went flying out the window. Ever since then, she's tried to keep her feelings a secret. There was a time when she wanted to forget she ever liked him. In her mind, there was no way he would ever consider her to be more than friend. He was hopelessly in love with Lydia._

_Scott knew. As her best friend, he knew her like the back of his hand. It was no secret to him that she liked Stiles. He was just surprised that Stiles hadn't realized it himself._

_Mia had her valentine all ready to go. She had hoped to get it to Stiles before he sent his to Lydia. The second she got to school, she rushed to class and waited for him at his desk. The other kids were already handing out their valentine's to their classmates by the time he and Scott arrived. Stiles was so busy thinking about his plan, he almost didn't notice Mia. She had suddenly become too nervous to speak, so she just shoved her valentine in his hands._

_Stiles looked at her with a smile. "Thanks Mia, this is nice. I can't wait to see the one you made for Tyler."_

_Mia's faked a smile and went back to her seat. Tyler was the name of the boy she said she had a crush on, but of course it was a lie. She liked Stiles, but even with her valentine, he didn't realize it._

_She felt down in the dumps, but not long after that, she watched Scott get rejected by Katie and Lydia barely gave Stiles the time of day. All of them had been turned down by their crushes._

_Now she was sitting in Scott's house waiting for her friends to finish getting ready. They had all decided that they would go to the dance together since their plans didn't work out. Stiles had questioned Mia extensively about her fake crush Tyler, but she just told him that she got rejected too._

_Mia heard Stiles and Scott come tumbling down the stairs after what felt like hours, and was surprised to see how cute they looked in their dress shirts and khaki's._

_"You two look handsome," Mia stated as she skipped towards them._

_The boys' cheeks turned red. "Please, don't embarrass us," Stiles begged._

_Melissa came around the corner with Grace, who was itching to take a picture of the three of them. "How does Mia look, boys?" Melissa asked._

_"Very pretty," Scott replied, sheepishly. He turned to look at his other friend. "Doesn't she look pretty, Stiles?"_

_He nodded. "Yeah, she's like the third prettiest girl I've ever seen." Mia tried to hide her disappointment as Scott jabbed Stiles in the stomach._

_"What?" he asked, clueless to how hurtful his words were. "It's true. First is my mom, then Lydia, then her."_

_"Alright guys, why don't you get together for a picture," Grace requested. She ushered her daughter towards her friends, but at the moment, she'd much rather go home and cry. Stiles was never going to like her the way she wanted him too._

_Later on at the dance, Mia tried to get over her hurt feelings and have fun with her friends, but every time she looked at Lydia, she was just reminded of the fact that Stiles liked her more._

_She sat between the two boys when she got tired of talking to the other girls and watched from the sidelines as her classmates danced around the gym._

_At that moment, Scott stood up and started walking away from her and Stiles._

_"Where are you going?" Mia called out._

_Scott turned around. "I, uh, have to use the bathroom."_

_Stiles' eyebrows rose in confusion. "Dude, you went to the bathroom ten minutes ago."_

_"Yeah, I know," Scott replied. "But, um, I just realized that I wasn't finished."_

_Mia and Stiles watched as he turned on his heel and left them on the bench by themselves. Mia shifted uncomfortably while Stiles slapped his hands against his knees to the beat of the music. Suddenly, the rhythm came to a stop, and a slow song sounded through the stereo system. All the kids on the dance floor didn't know what to do, so they dispersed and scurried off to secluded corners of the gymnasium._

_Stiles peered over at Mia who was avoiding making eye contact with him. He tapped her shoulder a couple of times until she finally looked him in the eye._

_"Do you want to dance with me?" he asked._

_Her mouth dropped open in surprise. "What?"_

_He sighed heavily. "Well, nobody else is dancing and we all look stupid just sitting here, so will you get up and dance with me, or not?"_

_Mia's mouth went dry and she felt her cheeks swell with warmth as she nodded her head. Then, Stiles took her hand in his and guided her to the floor. They didn't stand extremely close because they were shy about the fact that they were even dancing together, but they were close enough for Mia's hand to rest on Stiles' shoulder while his hand clasped her other one. They stayed quiet as they danced, but the silence was becoming more awkward by the minute. Stiles decided to say the first thing that came to his mind._

_"I'm sorry about what I said earlier," he blurted out. Mia nodded her acceptance of his apology. When she was upset, she reverted back to the times where she barely spoke. That's how he could tell something was wrong._

_"I was wrong about you being the third prettiest girl I know," he continued. "As my best friend, you're actually the second. My mom will always be first."_

_Mia smiled the biggest smile he had seen on her face all day. "Thanks," she said._

_"Guys, I don't want to interrupt your moment, but I'm feeling a little left out here."_

_Stiles and Mia turned to see Scott standing behind them with a goofy look on his face. "I knew you two wouldn't be able to resist each other if I left."_

_"Shut up, and get in here," Stiles demanded._

_Mia reached out and pulled Scott closer. The three friends huddled around each other in a shape similar to a prayer circle and continued to sway to the music despite being the only people on the dance floor._

_**~ 2008 ~** _

 

**{ if we ever meet again }**

_"So this is it, then?"_

_Mia sat on the steps of her front porch with Scott and Stiles as she watched their parents and a couple of other adults load up the moving truck with the last of her family's things._

_That's right. Mia was moving. Not just into a new house, oh no. She would be moving all the way across the country to New York. Her step father, Matthew, was being offered a promotion by the people he worked for that raised his salary, but also required him to uproot his family and move far away._

_When Mia heard the news, she cried for days. But there was nothing she could do. This was happening whether she liked it or not._

_"Yeah," she mumbled. "This is it."_

_Scott shook his head vigorously. "I can't believe this is happening!" he exclaimed. "This can't be the last time we're ever going to see you."_

_"I don't want to believe it either, but look around us," Mia said, motioning towards her old house and the moving trucks. "My whole life is being packed up and shipped out to a different place. This is it, guys."_

_Mia rested her face in her hands as she felt tears swell up in her eyes again. She didn't want to cry anymore. It would just make this harder, but she couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of sadness that had washed over her. Stiles and Scott were her best friends. She never thought there would come a day where she'd have to live her life without them. But in less than thirty minutes, she'd be gone. She was going to be out of their lives forever. Sure, they would try to keep in touch, but honestly, how well was that really going to work out? Their only way of communication would be by phone since none of their parents would let them have a Facebook. Keeping in touch wasn't going to be easy._

_"We are going to see each other again," Stiles stated confidently._

_A look of skepticism filled Mia's eyes. "Really, Stiles? Did you not hear a word I just said?"_

_"I don't care what you think, I know we're going to see each other again."_

_"How?" she questioned._

_"Yeah, and more importantly, when?" Scott added._

_Stiles huffed and shook his head. "I don't know the specifics, alright? All I know is that there is no way a friendship like this is going to come to an end now. It may take years, but I know for a fact that we will see each other again."_

_"And what if we don't?" Mia asked._

_"If we don't, when I'm twenty I'll run through the neighborhood naked," Stiles offered. "But if we do, if we do meet up again, and I don't care when it is, if you ever come back to town and we run into each other, we have to jump off of Stanton Rock right into the river in only our underwear. Deal?"_

_Scott and Mia glanced at each other, then at Stiles as amusement filled their eyes. "Deal."_

_The three friends shook on it, crossing their hearts to make it official, and for the next fifteen minutes, Mia hugged them as if her life depended on it._

_And then just like that, it was time to leave._

_She didn't let go of them until she had to get in the car. Scott and Stiles stood on the curb as they heard the engine start, and watched the car slowly pull away. Mia watched from the window, her heart aching as she began her journey to a new life. A life without her two musketeers._

_She almost started to cry, until she saw Stiles and Scott take off running after her parents vehicle. It was the fastest she had ever seen them run in her entire life, and she couldn't help but laugh a little as they tried their hardest to keep up with the speed of the car while their own parents called out for them to turn back._

_She was going to miss the hell out of those two idiots._


	3. ass back home

Moving has never been easy for anyone. See, the problem with moving away is that you have to pack everything you own, relocate to a new town, change schools, make new friends, and at least attempt to fit in around new people. None of this sounds like it's worth the trouble, so who would actually want to go through all of that?

Apparently, Mia Ramirez would.

Well, she didn't really want to take on the hassel of moving, it was just thrust on her by her parents. When they first told her that they would be moving once again, Mia was agitated. She had grown fond of living in New York. There was a ton of things to do there, the city was beautiful, and it actually snowed during the winter. Besides all of that, she really liked her school and the friends she had made. She didn't want to move again. She remembered very clearly how much it hurt the first time. But the next thing her parents said completely changed the way she had been feeling.

They were moving back to Beacon Hills.

The town she was born in. The town she spent the first eleven years of her life in. The town she had developed her most epic friendship in. She was going back to the place where she spent the best years of her life. 

Now as she sat at her vanity, staring at her reflection through the mirror in her family's new home, her mind raced with thoughts and worries about her first day of school. Sure she had lived in Beacon Hills before, but that was when she was little. Everyone had grown up, which meant everyone had changed. Things weren't going to be as easy as they were in the sandbox.

Her mind then wandered to the memory of her two very best friends, Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski. There was never a day that went by where she didn't think of them. Growing up they were inseperable, so it was hard to let go when Mia had to move away. They all tried to stay in contact, but it was too hard. As they got older and became involved in activities and hanging out with friends, there was never enough time to pick up the phone and say hello. Mia didn't have a Facebook either, so there was no other way to contact each other. But now that she was back in town, the possibility of running into them was pretty high.

The only problem was that Mia was certain she wouldn't be able to recognize them anymore. Stiles and Scott had to be at least seventeen now, so there's no way they still look like wide-eyed, excited newborn puppies. Like her, they probably matured a lot.

There's even a possibility that they don't live here anymore. That would be devestating. Moving all the way back to this town just to find out the two best friends she'd ever had were no longer there. She shuddered just at the thought of that happening, then shook her silly worries away. She had no idea why she was thinking so much into this. The chances of her running into them on her first day of school were probably slimmer than she would like to believe. Honestly, what were the odds of her actually having any classes with either of those boys? Tons of kids go to Beacon Hills High School, so getting her hopes up and believing that she might actually see them today was a bit ridiculous.

Mia ran her fingers through her hair, loosening the curls she had created so they didn't appear too structured. Her stomach tightened when she glanced at her phone screen and saw the time. She had to be at school in twenty minutes. Time sure does fly.

She quickly stood up, moving to face her floor length mirror, and inspected her outfit. It was a warm day, so she decided to wear a cute, flowy, black floral dress with burgundy ballet flats. Her hair cascaded past her shoulders and her makeup was as simple as it could get. A wash of a shimmery neutral colored eyeshadow adorned her lids, as well as some mascara, a little bit of foundation, and a rosy colored lip balm to finish the look off.

Satisfied with her appearance, Mia grabbed her tote bag and car keys and headed for the door. Grace, her mother, offered her some breakfast when she passed the kitchen, but she declined, stating that she didn't want to be late on her first day. After getting a kiss from her mom, Mia marched to her car, a beautiful red SUV that took up most of the driveway, and shoved her key into the ingnition, causing the vehicle to come roaring to life.

In a matter of minutes, she was driving down a long stretch of road with the radio blaring as she mumbled the words to the song that was booming through her speakers. Her observant eyes took in every detail of her surroundings as she neared the school. She recognized so many places. The park where she had hundreds of adventures with her friends, the bakery that made her favorite cream filled donuts, and the veterinary clinic that she, Scott, and Stiles would visit after school just to play with the animals. She felt a huge wave of nostalgia wash over her as she continued to recognize more places. It seemed that Mia really was back home.

Finally, she pulled into the school parking lot. She checked her reflection in the rear view mirror before grabbing her things and hopping out of the car. As she made her way through the parking lot and to the front doors, she could already see a few people staring at her, looking her up and down as if she was some foreign speciman underneath a microscope. She hated the fact that she had to start at a new school half way through the school year for this very reason; no one liked being the new kid.

After she made it inside and got everything situated in the main office, Mia read through her student information to find her locker assignment. She spotted the number 1724 at the top of the page and quickly began her search. The hallway was crowded with students which made it difficult for Mia to attempt to find her locker. She pushed past a bunch of people and managed to make it to a slightly less populated part of the hallway where she could actually move without bumping into someone. Just when she thought she was making progress, some random kid came out of nowhere, running down the hallway as if he was in a marathon, and knocked right into her, causing her to drop her things all over the floor.

Frustrated, Mia bent down to gather her things. Of course this would happen to her on her first day in a new school.

"Let me help you with that."

She looked up to see a boy kneeling next to her, grabbing a few of her items that had scattered on the floor. He was tan with dark hair, and he had a tattoo that covered the upper part of his left arm.

"Thank you," she said, smiling warmly at the guy. 

He returned the gesture, his smile reaching his eyes as he continued to help her with her things. "Are you new here?" he asked, stretching his arm out to grab her papers. "I don't think I've ever seen you around before."

She nodded as she picked up the last of her things and shoved them into her bag. "Yeah, my family just got here last week."

Standing up, she looked down at the boy who helped her and noticed that he had the papers she had just received from the main office clutched in his hands. He was staring at the one with her personal information on it, his eyes scanning the page intently.

"Um, can I have that back now?" she asked, scratching the back of her neck.

Suddenly, the boy was looking at her as if he had known her his whole life, and not like they were strangers who just met in the school hallway.

"Mia?!"


	4. the three musketeers

Mia couldn't hide the confusion on her face as she stared at the boy in front of her. Why was he looking at her like that? Did they used to know each other? If they did, she was certainly going to feel like a rat for not remembering him.

"I'm sorry," Mia began, "but do we know each other?"

The boy got to his feet, smiling from ear to ear. "Mia, it's me. Scott."

Her eyes widened in disbelief as the name registered in her mind. At first she thought there was no way that this guy was the same boy she'd spent the majority of her childhood with. But as she paid closer attention to his facial features, he began to look all too familiar. The eyes, the skin, the crooked jaw. They were all the same.

"Scott?" she whispered, stunned by her realization.

He nodded vigorously, his smile still as wide as can be. Mia let out a squeal that sounded similar to the noise pigs make when they're excited and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him close. Scott couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed her murmuring "Oh my God" a couple thousand times into his shoulder while he squeezed her tightly. Mia pulled away but she never stopped looking at his face. Then suddenly they were both talking at once, neither one understanding what the other was saying because they were so overcome with excitement.

All of the chattering and jumping around the two were doing caught Stiles' attention, who was down the hall with Kira and Malia. His face contorted in confusion as he watched Scott talk excitedly with some random girl he was sure he'd never seen before. She was petite with long, dark, curly hair, and she was wearing a dress that flowed around her, stopping just above her knees. He wasn't close enough to tell for sure, but from where he was standing, she looked beautiful.

"Who is that?" Kira asked, peering past the students who were blocking their view of the encounter.

"I don't know," Stiles responded. "Neither of you have seen here before?"

Kira shook her head. "No, but it sure seems like Scott has," she mumbled.

"Maybe Lydia knows her," Malia suggested. "She looks like the type of girl that she would hang out with."

Stiles had to agree with her there. Although it wasn't fair to judge someone based solely off of their appearance, this girl looked like she could be the queen bee of anything if she really wanted to be, and being a leader was practically Lydia's expertise. They'd definitely roll with the same people.

Unfortunately, Lydia was not in school today so asking her was out of the question. Scott and the girl were still talking, so Stiles decided to approach them and find out what was going on. As he got closer to the pair, he suddenly could not keep his eyes off of the mystery girl. Out of the blue, she began to look familiar to him and he started to feel like he should know her, but he couldn't for the life of him understand why. He had never seen her before today. Right?

He got close enough to place his hand on Scott's shoulder, causing him to jump from the sudden contact. Stiles' eyebrows rose as he began questioning his friend.

"What's all of the excitement about?" he asked.

Scott's smile grew wider as he looked between his two best friends. They were all reunited, and Stiles didn't even realize it.

"Stiles, thi-"

"STILES?!"

The mystery girl appeared to be shocked, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Stiles looked at her weirdly, confused by her outburst.

"Yeah, that's my name," he said cautiously. "I know it's a bit weird, but, uh. . Scott, who is this?" He turned towards his best friend. "What's going on?"

"Dude, it's Mia!" Scott exclaimed.

Stiles swore he felt his heart stop for a moment after Scott said her name. He glanced her way, inspecting her from top to bottom. When he looked her in the eyes, that's when he knew. He could never forget those eyes. 

Before he could even react, Mia had practically catapulted herself into him, wrapping her arms around his middle. His arms found their way around her, and he smiled at how familiar this all felt. He couldn't count the hundreds of times he had hugged this girl, but every time he held her, he felt at home. They were each others safe haven.

 "You smell good," she said, mumbling into his shoulder.

He didn't want to let her go, but he wouldn't be able to see her face if she was going to hold on to him like this all day. When he pulled away and gazed down at her, she looked so happy. Now that they were so close, he couldn't believe that he didn't recognize her before. She still had the same smile, the same brown eyes, the same round face. She was just older.

_And damn beautiful._

"Are you going to say anything, Stilinski?" Mia asked.

Stiles opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a jumbled mess. "What are you? I - I - how did you? Wh-why, when did you?"

Scott swooped in to save his flustered friend. "I think what he's trying to say is what the hell are you doing here, Mia?!"

Before she could explain herself, Kira and Malia approached the group, looking more confused than they had earlier.

"Hey, do you two weirdos mind explaining to us what the hell is going on?" Malia asked. "First Scott freaks out, then you. Do you know this girl or not?"

Stiles finally gained the ability to form full sentences again, and turned towards his friends. "Oh, right. You guys, this is Mia," he said, resting his arm on her shoulder and looking down at her, his smile stretching across his face. "She was our best friend when were little."

Scott could not help but notice the slight hint of jealousy in Malia's eyes as she stared at Mia and Stiles. He couldn't really blame her. Mia had only been back for ten minutes, and Stiles was already gazing at her like the sun rises and sets with her. Honestly, he's probably just really excited to see her again, and Malia had no reason to be jealous. Her relationship with Stiles was over, and from what he knew about the whole ordeal, she was the one who broke it off. Still, he'll have to talk to them about that later.

"Mia, this is Kira," Scott said, pointing towards his potential girlfriend, "and that's Malia. They are friends of ours."

"Aww, I knew you guys were capable of making other friends," Mia joked. "It's nice to meet you both."

Kira smiled warmly at her. "Likewise. You guys must have a lot of catching up to do."

"You have no idea," Stiles answered. "Lydia is going to flip when she finds out you're back."

Mia's eyes lit up at the mention of her name. "Lydia's here?!"

"Well, not here here," he clarified. "She's not coming into school today, but yeah, she still lives in town."

"Do you want us to show you around before classes start?" Kira asked. "That way you're not completely lost like I was on my first day."

Mia smiled, looking relieved that she had offered to do such a thing. This school was huge and she was positive she would get lost at least ten times today.  
"That would be great, thank you."

She walked next to Kira who was leading the way, while Scott and Stiles followed close behind with Malia trailing along next to them. Mia could hardly believe her luck. It was only her first day back, and she was already reunited with her best friends. There was no doubt in her mind that her day would only get better from here.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The school day had come and gone quicker than Mia thought it would. With Scott and Stiles by her side, her first day of school had gone very well. Their friends were really great too, and they got along well. Malia shared her same hatred for math, and Kira was a bookworm just like her. It was going to be fun to get to know them both better, but for now, what she really needed was to reconnect with her best friends.

That's why immediately after school, Mia drove home, with Scott and Stiles following close behind, dropped her things off, then hopped in Stiles' jeep, which she is completely in love with, and drove to the old diner that they used to make their parents take them to when they were kids.

The trio picked their favorite booth which sat in the middle of the diner by the largest window. They couldn't remember why they liked the booth so much. For as long as they could remember, it was just always their's, and as far as they were concerned, it always would be.

Mia sat across from the two boys, giggling uncontrollably as they talked about some of the ridiculous things they had done as children. They had some pretty crazy adventures. She was happy that they would be able to add some new escapades to that list.

"Do you guys remember the promise we made to each other the day I moved away?" Mia questioned.

Stiles laughed as the memory of that day crept back into his mind. He had been freaking out because Mia was going to be gone in a matter of minutes, but in his ever hopeful mind he had to believe that they would meet again someday. He made his friends promise that if Mia ever came back to town, they would jump off of Stanton Rock and into Tossing River in only their underwear, something they had always wanted to do but were too scared to try when they were little.

"I can't believe you remember that," Stiles said.

Scott smiles mischievously at his friends. "Let's do it."

"Like now?" Mia asked, surprised.

"Yeah, why not," he responded.

So the three friends pay for their food, then climb back into Stiles jeep and drive to the clearing in the forest that they used to go to as kids. Past that beautiful, grassy area was Stanton Rock. When they got there, the cliff looked taller than they remembered, but the rivers rapids were calm, which meant it was safe for them to take the plunge.

Stiles was surprised to see Mia get undressed so fast. She had only been wearing a dress, so in three seconds she was suddenly standing before him in only a bra and panties. He was having a harder time keeping his eyes off of her than Scott was. Her lacy undergarments accentuated her lady parts and she was curvy in all the right places.

He shook his head vigourously in an attempt to get his thoughts back on track, and silently reprimended himself for thinking about Mia that way as he stripped his clothes off. She just got back to town and those old feelings he thought were dead and buried were already bubbling back to the surface. Stiles knew he had to get himself in check before he made a fool out of himself.

"Are you guys ready?" Scott looked towards his friends.

Mia and Stiles nodded as they joined him by the edge of the rock. They tried not to stare too long at the river below them because if they did, they felt higher up than they really were. None of them were going to chicken out this time, they couldn't even if they wanted too. 

Stiles counted down from three, and before anyone could change their minds, the three of them leapt off the edge, screaming as they fell. Their bodies collided with the frigid water as they sunk below the surface. They emerged seconds later, spitting water from their mouths and laughing uncontrollably at one another.

Their first crazy adventure together in years was complete.


	5. miguel

Mia sat in the back of the Jeep as Stiles and Scott whispered to each other in the front. After the three of them swam out of the river, Scott got a call from someone that turned out to be urgent. The boys were being really secretive about what was going on. The only thing they told Mia was that they were going to the sheriff's office to take care of something, but it should only take a few minutes. Afterwards, they were going to Scott's house to hang out. She didn't mind having to take a detour, as long as she got to spend time with them.

As the car came to a stop at a red light, Stiles could see Mia shivering through his rear-view mirror. The three of them were soaking wet from their little expedition, and it wasn't very warm in his jeep. Before the light could turn back to green, Stiles reached behind him to grab his hoodie, and tossed it back to her.

"Oh no, Stiles, I'm fine," she said.

"Really? In that itty bitty dress?" he retorted. "Please just put it on Mia, we don't need you getting sick already."

She mumbled a small 'thank you' as she pulled his hoodie onto her body, already feeling alot warmer from its cozy material. She couldn't help but notice how big the piece of clothing was on her. Her arms barely filled the sleeves, but she didn't mind. She also was not bothered by the fact that it smelled like Stiles, but she would keep that to herself.

A couple minutes later, they had arrived at the police station. Memories from when they were younger immediately flooded Mia's mind as they walked in the building, gaining more than a few weird looks from the officers, most likely due to their saturated appearance.

Suddenly, the sheriff came charging out of his office right towards the boys, and he did not look pleased.

"We need to talk, now," he stated, the tone in his voice demanding. Then the look on his face went from unpleasant to irritated in a split second when he saw that they were dripping water onto the floor.

"Why are you all wet?" Mr. Stilinski asked. Then he looked straight at Mia, and was about to ask who the hell she was, when he suddenly seemed taken aback by her appearance.

The sheriff stepped back into his office, then quickly returned with a picture frame in his hand. He looked down at the frame, then up at Mia, then back down again. The photo he was looking at was of Scott and Stiles when they were six, and in between the two stood a five year old Mia.

Mr. Stilinski glanced up again, this time taking in all of her facial features. "Mia?"

Mia smiled warmly at him. "Hi, Mr. Stilinski."

Stiles placed his arm around her and grinned at his father. "Dad, Mia's family moved back to town. Her first day of school was today, and we've been hanging out since we ran into her."

"Well, it's wonderful to see you again, Mia," Mr. Stilinski gushed. "I'd hug you, but uh, you know." He gestures to her wet clothes.

"It's fine, I'll get one out of you later."

Stiles turned to Mia, his arm leaving her shoulder. "Listen, my dad needs to talk to Scott and I for a few minutes. We won't be long, so just wait out here, okay?"

Mia nodded, then watched the sheriff usher the boys into his office, shutting the door behind them. She rocked back and forth on her heels while she looked around the station. The officers were busy, many of them working at their desks or responding to calls from people around the area.

While she was waiting for Scott and Stiles, Mia could feel someone staring at her. When she looked to her right, she saw a boy sitting on a bench right outside of the sheriff's office. He appeared to be around her age, with dark hair and olive skin. She would have noticed how handsome he was if he hadn't been ogling her with his eyes.

Even when she locked eyes with him, he did not look away. _What is this guy's problem?_

Starting to feel uncomfortable, Mia avoided making eye contact with the boy as she opened the door to Mr. Stilinski's office, interrupting the conversation he was having with the boys.

"Hey," she said, "I'm going to wait in the car, alright?"

Stiles acknowledged her prescence with a nod and a wave of his hand. "That's fine, we'll be out in a few minutes."

Mia could still feel the strange boys gaze as she exited the building. She had no idea why he kept looking at her, but she wasn't going to stand around while some creep gawked at her.

She tried to be patient as she waited in the jeep for the boys, but it wasn't easy, especially since she was alone. Just when she thought she couldn't bare another minute of silence, Stiles appeared at the entrance to the police station. She smiled when she saw him, but it quickly faded when she noticed the person beside him. It was the guy that had been staring at her.

Mia frowned as Stiles and the boy approached the car. Her scowl only deepened when she realized Scott hadn't come with them.

Stiles climbed into the drivers seat, then looked back at her, an awkward smile present on his face. "So, Scott has to take care of something, but he will meet us at his house when he's done."

Mia looked at him suspiciously, then gestured towards the guy who was sitting in the passenger seat. "Who is this? And why is he here?"

Without thinking, Stiles decided to go with an old lie he had made up years ago. "This is my cousin, Miguel. He's visiting town, and my dad wants us to keep him company."

"I don't remember you ever having a cousin named Miguel," Mia replied.

"Uh, long lost cousin," Stiles answered quickly. "It's a long story, but he's family, and I promised my dad that he could hang out with us, ok?"

Mia didn't look convinced or pleased, but she smiled anyway and decided to let it go. If hanging out with her best friends meant putting up with a creepy long lost cousin, then that's what she'll have to do.

Stiles shoved his key into the ignition, the jeep's engine roaring to life. He tried to keep a conversation going with Mia as he drove to Scott's house, but she was having trouble concentrating due to the fact that his cousin Miguel was staring at her through the side-view mirror.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mia stuck close to Stiles as they entered the McCall house. She did not feel comfortable being close to his cousin, so she stayed by his side while he told Miguel how things were going to go tonight.

"Listen," Stiles began, "you're going to sit in here and stay quiet while we wait for Scott, alright? You're not going to look at us, you're not going to talk to us-"

"Can I talk to him?" Miguel asked, gesturing towards the opposite end of the room.

Stiles immediately groaned when he glanced in that direction and saw Mr. McCall standing there, looking at the three of them.

"Geez, are you getting taller?" He quipped.

Mr. McCall's face held a hint of suspicion as he stared at the teens. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Waiting for Scott," Miguel replied.

"That's what I'm doing, we're supposed to have dinner." Mr. McCall gestured to the bag of food in his arms. "I bought extra, would you guys like to join us?"

Mia's stomach growled just at the sight of the food. She hadn't noticed until then how hungry she was. She opened her mouth to say yes just as Miguel had, but Stiles quickly said no. She looked at him, confused as to why he would turn down free food.

"We're not hungry," Stiles answered.

Miguel glared at him. "Yes, I am."

"Yeah, I haven't eaten since lunch," Mia agreed.

Stiles shook his head. "We'll be fine."

Mia's stomach gurgled loudly at that moment, and she turned to glare at him as well. "Stiles, you know how I get if I don't eat," she said, menacingly.

Stiles groaned again at her statement. Of course he rememberd how she got if she was deprived of food. It wasn't a pretty sight.

"Mia, is that you?" Mr. McCall asked. He hadn't been around much when they were growing up, but one of the few times he had been in town, there was an incident where Mia hadn't eaten for a while and became excessively cranky. Then there was a fight between her and Stiles over a bag of chips, which ended up being pretty hilarious now that he thought about it.

"Yeah, it's me," Mia responded.

"Well, it's wonderful to see you again," Mr. McCall responded before looking at Stiles. "Now, Stiles, you may not be hungry, but Mia and your other friend are." He nodded in his "cousin's" direction. "What's your name?"

"Miguel," Stiles answered for him.

Mr. McCall raised his eyebrows skeptically, but went along with what Stiles said anyway. "Mia, Miguel, you're welcome to eat if you'd like, there's plenty here."

Stiles sighed heavily as Mia and Miguel made their way towards the food. He followed suit, deciding that he too would eat because, in all honesty, he was starving.

He took a seat next to Mia, who had already devoured half of an egg roll and would soon be working on a second. He chuckled when he saw a spot of duck sauce on her face. He grabbed a napkin and tapped her shoulder to get her attention. When she looked up at him, he wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth and tossed the napkin in the trash. Her cheeks turned pink as she smiled sheepishly at him, then returned to her food.

Every now and then during dinner, Stiles would peek over at Mia. Not for any reason in particular, just to get a look at her. He still couldn't believe that she was here with him, and he really could not believe how much she had grown. She was always beautiful, but now that she was almost a woman, it was really starting to show. Every time he looked at her, she'd look back and smile shyly at him, before quickly looking away.

Stiles became increasingly frustrated with himself as the night when on. He needed Scott to get home soon. If he was around, it would be easier to keep himself in check. Without him, he would just keep noticing how pretty her eyes were, and how adorable she looked in his hoodie.

_How could old feelings just come bubbling back to the surface so fast?_

It had to be because he missed her so much. That was it. Seeing her again so out of the blue had just stirred him up in such a way that he wasn't thinking rationally.

 _These feelings will pass,_ he thought to himself. _In a week or two, I'll see her as my best friend, and nothing more._

After they finished eating, Mia excused herself to use the bathroom while Stiles and Miguel started cleaning dishes. Wave after wave of nostalgia hit her as she wandered through the hallway, finding her way to the restroom with no problem. She remembered this place so clearly, you'd never know she had been gone for five years.

As Mia went back downstairs, she was so caught up in her memories that she missed a step near the end of the staircase and tripped. Just when she thought she was going to hit the ground, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her body. Expecting it to be Stiles, Mia is surprised when she looks up and see's Miguel instead. She shifts so she's standing properly on her feet, but even as she moves, he keeps his arms around her. He stares down at her so intensely that it sends chills up her back.

Stiles is taken aback when he walks into the room and see's Derek holding Mia so close to him. He suddenly remembers the conversation he had with his father before he left the police station. He had warned him and Scott to keep Mia in the dark about the werewolf stuff, and they had agreed. Well how were they going to keep her away from werewolves when one was holding her in his arms, looking as if he just got struck by Cupid?

Just when Stiles was about to put an end to there little 'romantic' moment, Scott suddenly appeared next to him, staring Derek down like he was his life long enemy.

"NO!"


	6. brothers and sisters

"Lydia, don't you think you're going a bit overboard?"

"I'm sorry, but when one of your closest friends returns home after five years, a celebration is completely necessary."

Mia and Lydia were wandering around a department store in the mall, browsing through racks and racks of dresses while they caught up with each other.

This was the first time the two had been together since Mia moved away, and Lydia was ecstatic. Even though they didn't run with the same crowd, the girls were close friends when they were younger. Scott and Stiles were Mia's best friends, but Lydia had never really gotten to know them that well throughout elementary school. Whenever she hung out with Mia, the boys were not around. Despite not having the same friends, Lydia adored the hell out of Mia. She was like the sister she never had, so when she moved away, she was heartbroken. She never thought she'd be that close with another girl again, but then came Allison, who, despite what any biological test would say, really was her sister. Now with her gone, Lydia was glad to have another close friend around, but her heart was aching for Allison even more than before.

She tried to push her grief aside so she could focus on what was going on now. The second she heard Mia was back in town, Lydia decided that she was throwing her a 'Welcome Home' party. In turn, she insisted that they go shopping for decorations and party dresses.

Although Mia was excited to be spending time with Lydia, she was not too keen on the idea of having a celebration because she knew that her old friend was going to want to turn it into something big, while Mia preferred things to be more low-key.

Knowing that Lydia was not going to let up on the whole party idea, Mia found a dress that she liked and, after getting Lydia's stamp of approval, she purchased it. The garment was white with lace details and hit just above her knees. She bought a pair of nude pumps and a clutch to match. Keeping in mind that they used to coordinate their outfits when they were younger, Lydia bought a dress in a similar style, except it was a light pink color that came with a darker pink belt. Happy with their purchases, the girls decided to get something to eat, so they headed to the food court and munched on pizza slices and soda while they discussed what their lives had been like for the last five years.

"You first," Lydia said, after taking a sip of her drink.

Mia let out a tiny puff of air as she started thinking about how her life had been for the past couple of years. "Alright, well, you know we moved to New York City. I made a few friends, got good grades in school. When I was up there, my parents would take me to The Falls in Long Island during autumn to go apple picking and look at the leaves change colors. I loved the snow, that's something I'm really going to miss. I played a few sports in school, kept up the singing thing, learned how to drive. Oh, and my parents had another baby."

"Really?!" Lydia exclaimed.

Mia nodded as she pulled her phone from her purse and scrolled through her camera roll to find a picture of her baby sister. Lydia fawned over every photo she showed her, already falling in love with the chubby cheeks and tiny feet.

"Her name is Emily," Mia explained. "She's four months old now."

"Well, she's adorable. Have you heard from Gavin at all?"

Mia cringed at the mention of her fathers name. Gavin was her biological dad, but that was where their relationship ended. He left her mother when he found out she was pregnant, then came back when she was two and demanded to be involved in her upbringing. By that time, Mia's mother, Grace, had married her step-father Matthew, who Mia had grown to think of as her real dad, which he was. He kept her fed, held her when she cried, made sure she was happy and that she had everything she needed. When Gavin saw that Matthew was doing a better job at being a family man than he ever could, he got jealous and wanted to assert his dominance over him, so he decided to become a part of Mia's life. However, their relationship was short-lived. All Gavin wanted was control, and when he realized that he wasn't getting anything out of being a father, he left. Mia overheard the fight he had with her parents when he said he felt no love for her, and she was left feeling heartbroken and worthless. She had not heard from him since then, and she hopes to keep it that way.

"He is definitely still out of my life," Mia stated. "Okay, I filled you in. Now it's your turn." Mia took a few bites of her pizza while Lydia told her about what had been going on in her life.

"Okay, well, you moved and left me devastated. I had to pick up the pieces of my shattered being all on my own!" Lydia exclaimed. Mia rolled her eyes at her dramatics and waved a hand, signaling for her to continue.

"Things were not that different for me for a while. Still had plenty of friends, still had my good looks, still pretty popular. Jackson and I dated for a while if you can believe that. Then sophomore year came around, and everything changed. I found myself a really amazing group of friends, I stopped pretending to be dumb for the benefit of others, and I wasn't so lonely anymore."

"You're talking about Scott and Stiles, right?" Mia asked. Lydia smiled and nodded, thinking fondly of two of her best friends.

"I was shocked to find out that the boys even had your number," she continued. "You barely paid them the time of day when we were little."

Lydia shrugged. "Yeah, well things change. Those two are like my brothers now, I couldn't imagine it any other way."

"I cannot believe you are all such great friends," Mia said. "Stiles used to have the biggest crush on you."

"Yeah, well trust me, that has passed," Lydia said with a chuckle. "You weren't here to live through his first and only girlfriend."

"He's only had one? How?!" Mia exclaimed. "He is so handsome, I almost didn't recognize him."

Lydia's eyebrows raised in amusement at what her old friend had just said. "So, you were paying that much attention to his looks, huh?"

Mia rolled her eyes again. "I hadn't seen him in five years, of course I was going to notice how much he had changed. I was simply making an observation."

"Yeah, that's it," Lydia said, sarcastically. "Don't think I forgot about the huge crush _you_ had on Stiles when we were little, Mia. He was all you talked about."

"Okay well, that has passed."

"Has it really?" Lydia questioned. "Because up until the day you moved, he was still on your mind. You're telling me that was all resolved in New York?"

"For your information, I had two boyfriends and a few crushes while I was away, so I'm pretty sure I don't think about him like that anymore."

Lydia didn't say anything about it again, but she knew from a logical stand point that feelings do not disappear just because someone moves away. She felt a giddy feeling build up inside her as she thought about all of the possible things that could happen now that Mia was back, and she could not wait for her chance to play matchmaker to arrive.

After the girls finished eating, they gathered up their things and left. Mia sat in the passenger seat of Lydia's car, waiting for her to finish touching up her makeup. When she peered over at her, she saw a picture of a girl clipped to her sun visor. She was really pretty, with long dark hair, and brown eyes. Curiosity filled her as she stared at the picture some more.

"Who is that?" Mia asked.

Lydia glanced over at her, then looked back up where the picture sat. She sighed heavily, her heart starting to ache again as she thought of her fallen sister.

"That's Allison," she stated. "She was my best friend."

Mia detected the hint of sadness in Lydia's voice, and noticed that she was speaking in the past tense. "What happened? Did you two have a fight?"

She shook her head, wishing that it was as simple as that. "She passed away earlier this year."

"I am so sorry."

"Yeah, me too," Lydia replied solemnly.

Wanting to change the subject, Lydia decided to start talking about her party plans again. As soon as she started the car and drove out of the parking lot, she let Mia know that she meant business.

"Listen, you have no choice in the matter, and I will not take no for an answer; there will be a party and you, little miss Mia Ramirez, will be in attendance," Lydia demanded.

"Hey, I bought a dress, didn't I?" Mia said. "I will go to this shindig, Lydia, as long as you keep it small. Only my friends should be there."

Lydia took her eyes off of the road for a second just to glare at her. "Well, this is going to be one incredibly small party, Mia, considering you only have three friends!"

Mia flashed a smile her way, a mischievous twinkle shining in her eyes. "Exactly."


	7. family time

After their shopping trip, Mia and Lydia parted ways and went home to their families. When she walked through the door, Mia could hear her parents in the living room. It was almost eight o'clock, so they were probably waiting for one of their shows to come on. Instead of heading upstairs like she had planned, Mia decided to join her parents for a few minutes.

"Hey you," Matt said as she plopped on the couch, taking up the space between him and her mother.

"Where's Emily?" Mia asked, immediately noticing the absence of her fidgety baby sister.

"She's upstairs sleeping," her mother Grace answered. "That bath I gave her did her in. I just hope she doesn't wake up again until after the show is over."

One thing Mia had learned since her sister was born was that babies were very unpredictable, especially during the first few months. Her parents are trying to get Emily on a schedule now that she's getting older, but she hasn't been very cooperative.

"How was catching up with Lydia?" Grace asked.

"Amazing," Mia responded. "It was like I had never left. Talking to her is so easy, and she's still as bubbly as I remember her being, and just as demanding. She's throwing me a welcome home party tomorrow night. There was no room for objections."

"What's so bad about a party?" Matt wondered.

"Nothing now that I got Lydia to promise that only my friends will be invited."

"You mean the only two friends you have in town?" Grace asked. "Sounds like a boring party."

"Maybe to you," Mia began. "I happen to believe that you don't need fifty people to make a party fun. Less is always better."

After a brief debate on how many people have to be in attendance in order to consider any gathering a party, Mia stretched out on the couch and watched television with her parents. Moving boxes were stacked around the room, many of them still containing items that needed to be put away, and the couch they were currently sitting on was the only piece of furniture that wasn't placed haphazardly in a random part of their living space. They had only been living in their new house for a couple of days now, but the little family still had a bit of work to do. From what Mia remembered from the first time they moved, it was probably going to take her parents two weeks to actually finish unpacking. Luckily for her, she had gotten to work on her bedroom the second they arrived. She knew how uncomfortable she would feel if she was sleeping in a half finished room, so she made sure all of her stuff was put away. Her room was actually the only one in complete order.

At one point during the evening, Grace went upstairs to check on Emily, leaving Mia and Matt to keep each other company.

"Coco called while you were out," Matt said as the show they were watching went to a commercial.

Coco was Matt's mother, Charlotte, Mia's step-grandma. Ever since she was little, Mia had always called her Coco because she had asked her to. Grace and Matt are kind of young, so Coco never liked being called Grandma. It made her feel old.

"That's nice. What did she want?"

"Oh, she just wanted to check in and see how things were going. She also wanted me to remind you about the next full moon."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Really? This stuff again?"

Matt held his hands up defensively. "Hey, this is coming from her, not me. You know how she gets."

Ever since Mia was a little girl, Coco had told her stories about Beacon Hills that she always chalked up to be fairy tales. She'd tell her about the creatures of the night, and how dangerous it was for anyone to be out during the full moon. At the time, the stories had scared her, but as she got older, Mia believed Coco's stories were a bunch of crap that she told just to keep her out of trouble. When she had moved the first time, Coco stopped talking about full moons and the other legends that were apparently linked to Beacon Hills, but now that they had moved back, she was starting to rehash everything.

Right before they left New York, Coco asked Mia to heed her warning.

_"Beacon Hills is a much more mysterious place than you think. Even now, more than ever. So much has changed, and not for the better," Coco stated, her voice conveying a serious tone. "Be smart, be alert, make good choices, and do not trust everyone."_

Mia knew that her grandmother meant well, but she honestly didn't believe in that kind of stuff. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches, and whatever other mythical creatures people believe in, none of that was real, at least not to her.

"She just wants you to be careful," Matt uttered, rejoining the conversation.

"Well she was nothing to worry about, because I am perfectly safe here. I grew up here, you and mom grew up here. How dangerous could a place like this possibly be?"

Mia barely noticed the wary gleam in Matt's eyes as he gazed at her.

"You'd be surprised."


	8. his someone

"Look, everything's going to be fine."

Stiles walked beside Scott out of the boys locker room, and on to the lacrosse field as he tried to reassure his best friend that his status on the lacrosse team was safe. Their shoes squeaked on the dewy grass as they stalked over with their equipment. The boys had arrived to school before classes started for an early lacrosse practice. Tryouts were being held that afternoon and Scott was desperate to do a few dry runs so he'd be prepared for later.

"You got your grades up like coach asked you too, right?" Stiles asked.

Scott nodded, but he still appeared to be unsure of himself. "Yes, but coach just told me to show up for tryouts. He never said that I'm still captain."

"Alright, we'll get back to that in a moment. Did you get in touch with Argent about Kate?"

Kate Argent was the packs most recent dilemma. The woman who was supposed to have died by Peter Hale's hand, was actually alive and kicking. Although Peter's scratch had initially killed her, his nails went deep enough to turn her, and now she was some kind of out of control were-jaguar who decided to roll back into town. She was also responsible for turning Derek into a 15 year old boy that currently depended on Stiles and Scott. They weren't sure where she had gone off to, but they knew that having her back in town was going to cause major problems for them, so they were trying to reach Chris to see if he could be of any help.

"Yeah," Scott responded. "I texted him."

Stiles narrowed his eyes at him, shaking his head. "Really? You texted the guy that his sister came back from the dead?"

"Hey, I would have called but I can't afford a phone call to France."

"Yeah, I guess that's going around," Stiles huffed. "Try having to pay for an MRI and a trip to Eichen House."

"Another notice?" Scott asked.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, this one said final." He let out a deep sigh as he looked out at the field where the other players were practicing. He hated thinking about the trouble their families were having when it came to money. Melissa always worked hard to try and keep the lights on, but for some reason it was never enough. His own father had never really had too much trouble paying the bills, but then Stiles got possessed by the nogitsune, and they thought he was suffering from the disease that had taken his mothers life. Hospital bills add up.

"What the hell are we doing worrying about our status on the lacrosse team anyway, when we have one hundred seventeen million problems, and lacrosse is not one of them?" Stiles asked.

Scott was staring off at the field, his face suddenly holding a whole new look of concern. "It is now."

When Stiles turned around, he saw what had Scott so spooked. Some freshman player was giving the other guys a run for their money. "Who the hell is that?" he asked.

The guy stood in the goal with all of his gear, blocking every single ball that came flying his way. Stiles swallowed hard as he watched the kid continue to dominate the field. 

"Alright, maybe we should practice a little bit."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

After getting a bit of practice in, the boys changed back into their school clothes and headed off to math class. Scott was talking to Stiles about possibly needing a new part for his bike or something, but Stiles had completely blocked him out the second he saw Mia down the hall.

She stood at her locker with Lydia, her megawatt smile lighting up her entire face as she listened intently to their strawberry blonde friend speak. He watched her from afar, his own smile growing as he saw her shaking with laughter, an act that only made her beauty more evident.

In that moment, Stiles couldn't help but be reminded of old times. He remembered walking into school with Scott, then not being able to tear his eyes away from Mia the second he saw her across the hall. She was always with Lydia when she wasn't with them, which should have enticed him, but there had been a point in time when Stiles only had eyes for Mia.

He would do the same thing he was doing now. He'd watch her smile or laugh at something Lydia said, and feel his stomach flutter and his palms sweat at the sight of it. Those feelings used to make him nervous and excited all at the same time.

Even when he had become infatuated with Lydia, he still had underlying feelings for Mia. They would bubble up whenever they were too close to each other, or he thought about how cute she was for too long. Then, he would try to repress those feelings with thoughts of Lydia, but his fondness for Mia was still in the back of his mind.

Now standing in the same position years later, with his feelings for Lydia having seemingly disappeared, a little bit of experience from his first relationship in his pocket, and his old feelings for Mia bubbling to the surface, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be with her. He already knew what it felt like to have her hand in his, to wrap his arms around her. Hell, he even knew how it felt to kiss her, but they had been young, and that was all done in innocence.

He wanted to know how all of that would feel now, with their childlike innocence behind them, and a more mature outlook on relationships and the opposite sex.

His want for affection and the sickly sweet things that came with being in a relationship was what tore him and Malia apart. She was still getting used to being human again, and they had been each others firsts. Neither one of them had been in a relationship before, but Stiles knew how it was supposed to go, and he knew what he wanted theirs to be like, but Malia had trouble with everything except the sexual aspect of it all. He tried to show her how to be affectionate without being sexual, how to show someone you care without saying it, all of the things that you were supposed to do in a relationship he tried to teach her, but she got frustrated when she felt that she couldn't do those things, at least not yet, so she broke it off in an effort to maintain their friendship. It really sucked when it happened, but Stiles understood even better now that he wanted things that Malia could not give him, which meant he would have to find someone who would.

Maybe Mia would be his someone.

Just then, Stiles felt a hand collide with the back of his head. He turned quickly to find Scott staring at him, bewildered.

"Dude, did you even hear a word I said?" he asked.

Stiles raked through his brain to try and remember something his friend had mentioned in the last two minutes, but nothing came to mind.

"Uh, was it something about sushi?" Scott rolled his eyes before turning his attention to Mia and Lydia, who had just approached the pair. Without missing a beat, Lydia began question the boys about their plans for the evening.

"Are you guys coming to Mia's welcome home party tonight?"

"Good morning to you too, Lydia," Stiles said.

"We'll definitely be there," Scott assured her.

Lydia smiled happily, then turned to Mia. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Kira and Malia. You know, just so things won't get too boring."

"Of course that's fine," Mia responded. "But like I've already said, just because a party is small, doesn't mean that it's going to be any less entertaining."

Lydia patted her on the back. "Whatever you say sweetie."

At the sound of the bell, the four friends walked together to get to class. Lydia, Mia, and Scott entered the room quickly, but Stiles noticed Malia backing out the door and attempting to leave. Before she could get away, he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her inside.

"Math is pointless," Malia huffed.

Stiles shook his head as he lead her to her seat. "Math is essential."

She turned on him, frowning in annoyance. "For what?"

"For things like knowing how much to tip at restaurants," he stated.

Having overheard their conversation, Lydia wasn't amused by Stiles' response. She leaned over to put in her two sense. "And for other less important things like medicine, economics, engineering. ."

He ignored her, emphasizing what he had said before. "Tipping."

Stiles leaned back in his seat as the girls turned their attention to their desks. Scott sat on his left, while Mia sat on his right, and once again he was starting to feel nostalgic, remembering how they had always sat together in class when they were younger. They had managed to be in the same class every year after Mia skipped a grade, so they always made a point to sit near each other as long as the teacher hadn't provided assigned seats.

"Stiles." He glanced beside him to find Mia leaning over and rummaging through the things on his desk.

"Hey, stop that," he whined.

"Do you have last nights homework?" she asked.

He flipped through his notebook in search of the page he had worked on the night before, slapping the book down on his desk when he finally found it. "Yeah, here it is. Why do you need it?"

"I accidentally skipped a problem, and I need to finish it."

Stiles chuckled. "Aw, did little miss Mia actually forget to do her homework?"

"Very funny," she said, her tone dull. "Can I please borrow your notes?"

"Is having one problem unfinished really going to kill you?" he asked.

"I feel incomplete!"

Stiles couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous she sounded. Mia had always been a good student, so there was never a day where she didn't have her work done. He just found it amusing that she could over look _one_ problem.

Still laughing, he passed his notebook to her. "How'd you forget to do one problem anyway?"

Mia shrugged. "Well, I was watching my sister and she randomly got sick, so I. ."

Stiles was trying to listen to what she was saying, but as she talked, his attention went from her words to her lips. She wore no gloss, drawing attention to the natural rosy color of her mouth. They were the perfect size, not too big or too thin, and they looked incredibly soft and enticing. He felt his heart beat quicken as he wondered how it would feel to kiss them, to taste the fleshy skin and feel them between his teeth.

Before his imagination could run completely wild, Stiles felt Mia grip his arm, drawing his attention back to her.

"Are you okay?" Mia wondered, looking slightly concerned. "You spaced out for a second there."

Stiles nodded vigorously. "Yeah I'm fine, I was just, um, thinking - "

"Lydia, Malia, and Mia, come up to the board please," the teacher called.

Mia rubbed his arm as she stood up from her seat. "Be right back."

He nodded, watching her move to the front of the classroom with their other friends. Stiles could feel Scott's eyes on him, and when he glanced his way, he was staring at him with that knowing look of his.

"What?" Stiles asked.

Scott tried to suppress a smile as he gazed at his friend. "I heard your heartbeat, dude. Something you want to talk about?"

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

As soon as Scott turned his attention back to his work, Stiles tried to focus on his own, but it wasn't easy. Mia was still on his mind. He looked up just in time to see her coming back to her seat. Malia was still at the board with Lydia, who was most likely helping her through her problem. Math was never an issue for Mia, so he wasn't surprised that she was done already. He had hoped that she'd be up there longer, though. It would have given him more time to collect his thoughts.

The scent of her perfume lingered in the air from when she breezed past him, and he could smell it even better now that she was sitting next to him again. She accidentally brushed her pencil off of her desk, so he leaned down to get it. When he handed it to her, their hands touched and he felt his skin tingle. He hoped that she didn't notice him shiver when it happened, but if she did, she didn't say anything. Just like he wouldn't say anything about the way she trembled when his skin brushed against hers.


End file.
